Global Depository Receipt:A bank certificate issued in more than one country for shares in a foreign

company. The shares are held by a foreign branch of an international bank. The shares trade as domestic shares, but are offered for sale globally through the various bank branches.

What is the difference between ADR and GDR?

Both ADR and GDR are depository receipts, and represent a claim on the underlying shares. The only difference is the location where they are traded. If the depository receipt is traded in the United States of America (USA), it is called an American Depository Receipt, or an ADR. If the depository receipt is traded in a country other than USA, it is called a Global Depository Receipt, or a GDR.

Global Depository Receipt (GDR): These are similar to the ADR but are usually listed on exchanges outside the U.S., such as Luxembourg or London. Dividends are usually paid in U.S. dollars. The first GDR was issued in 1990.

GDR Advantages And Disadvantages

GDRs, like ADRs, allow investors to invest in foreign companies without worrying about foreign trading practices, different laws, accounting rules, or cross-border transactions. GDRs offer most of the same corporate rights, especially voting rights, to the holders of GDRs that investors of the underlying securities enjoy. Other benefits include easier trading, the payment of dividends in the GDR currency, which is usually the United States dollar (USD), and corporate notifications, such as shareholders meetings and rights offerings, are in English. Another major benefit to GDRs is that institutional investors can buy them, even when they may be restricted by law or investment objective from buying shares of foreign companies. GDRs also overcome limits on restrictions on foreign ownership or the movement of capital that may be imposed by the country of the corporate issuer, avoids risky settlement procedures, and eliminates local or transfer taxes that would otherwise be due if the companys shares were bought or sold directly. There are also no foreign

custody fees, which can range from 10 to 35 basis points per year for foreign stock bought directly. GDRs are liquid because the supply and demand can be regulated by creating or canceling GDR shares. GDRs do, however, have foreign exchange risk if the currency of the issuer is different from the currency of the GDR, which is usually USD. The main benefit to GDR issuance to the company is increased visibility in the target markets, which usually garners increased research coverage in the new markets; a larger and more diverse shareholder base; and the ability to raise more capital in international markets. GDRs do have foreign exchange risk if the currency of the issuer is different from the currency of the GDR, which is usually the U.S. dollar.

GDR Market
As derivatives, depositary receipts can be created or canceled depending on supply and demand. When shares are created, more corporate stock of the issuer is purchased and placed in the custodian bank in the account of the depositary bank, which then issues new GDRs based on the newly acquired shares. When shares are canceled, the investor turns in the shares to the depositary bank, which then cancels the GDRs and instructs the custodian bank to transfer the shares to the GDR investor. The ability to create or cancel depositary shares keeps the depositary share price in line with the corporate stock price, since any differences will be eliminated through arbitrage. The price of a GDR primarily depends on its depositary ratio (aka DR ratio), which is the number of GDRs to the underlying shares, which can range widely depending on how the GDR is priced in relation to the underlying shares; 1 GDR may represent an ownership interest in many shares of corporate stock or fractional shares, depending on whether the GDR is priced higher or lower than corporate shares.

Most GDRs are priced so that they are competitive with shares of like companies trading on the same exchanges as the GDRs. Typically, GDR prices range from $7 $20. If the GDR price moves too far from the optimum range, more GDRs will either be created or canceled to bring the GDR price back within the optimum range determined by the depositary bank. Hence, more GDRs will be created to meet increasing demand or more will be canceled if demand is lacking or the price of the underlying company shares rises significantly. Most of the factors governing GDR prices are the same that affects stocks: company fundamentals and track record, relative valuations and analysts recommendations, and market conditions. The international status of the company is also a major factor. On most exchanges, GDRs trade just like stocks, and also have a T+3 settlement time in most jurisdictions, where a trade must be settled within 3 business days of the trading exchange. The exchanges on which the GDR trades are chosen by the company. Currently, the stock exchanges trading GDRs are the: 1. London Stock Exchange 2. Luxembourg Stock Exchange 3. NASDAQ Dubai 4. Singapore Stock Exchange 5. Hong Kong Stock Exchange Companies choose a particular exchange because it feels the investors of the exchanges country know the company better, because the country has a larger investor base for international issues, or because the companys peers are represented on the exchange. Most GDRs trade on the London or Luxembourg exchanges because they were the 1st to list GDRs and because it is cheaper and faster to issue a GDR for those exchanges. Many GDR issuers also issue privately placed ADRs to tap institutional investors in the United States. The market for a GDR program is broadened by including a 144A private placement offering to Qualified Institutional Investors in the United States. An offering based on SEC Rule 144A eliminates the need to register the offering under United States security laws, thus saving both time and expense. However, a 144A offering

must, underRule 12g3-2(b), provide a home country disclosure in English to the SEC or the information must be posted on the companys website. Advantages: GDR allow the investors to hold share in foreign companies without bothering about their accounting practice, laws or any other rules. It facilitates easy trading method since in the global market you can buy shares or sell it using dollars and the stock market offerings are listed out in English. Another important advantage in buying GDR is you can buy them even you are restricted by any investment objective which prevents you from buying stocks of foreign companies. GDR does not impose any limit to the buyer and thus you are privileged to buy as many stocks of any foreign company. You need not pay any transfer taxes if you buy GDR or else you should pay local taxes when you purchase any foreign company's share directly. One disadvantage in buying global depositary receipt is you must pay the currency conversion if you are buying shares of the company outside America, since GDR exists usually in US dollars.